She looked… incredible. The deep wine color made her skin glow, and the slit in the skirt showed just enough of those legs she usually hid under pants. The dress was two parts held together by a zipper in the back, it bared a swath of skin across her abdomen. I tore my eyes away.
We stepped out onto the floor. Morgan was gushing, but I couldn't find my voice. I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.
"El, what do you think?" Morgan asked.
I shrugged. I literally could not speak. If I opened my mouth, I was afraid I’d tell her she looked like every dream I’d ever had and every nightmare I was currently living.
"Don't mind him," Morgan snapped. "He's blind."
I wasn't blind. I was staring at the strip of skin at her midriff, wondering how a woman so small could take up so much space in my head.
"Hey. Eyes up here, Satan," Vanessa snapped, catching my gaze.
"Just wondering where you hide the satanic tattoos," I lied, my voice sounding rough even to my own ears.
"You'll need a lot of tokens to ride that ride."
Morgan groaned, looking between us. "Will you two ever get along?"
"Never," we said in unison.
But as I looked at her, standing there in a dress she had designed, I knew the "thirty-day wish" was going to be the longest month of my life. Because the more I tried to own her time, the more I realized she already owned mine.
thirteen
ELLIOTT
The minutewe got back in the car, I could practically see the gears turning in her head. Her eyes were darting, her fingers twitching—the telltale signs of a Vanessa Miranda brainstorm. She asked for a piece of paper, a napkin, anything.
I reached over her, intentionally invading her personal space to open the glove box, and pulled out a small notepad. I smacked her lightly on the head with it before handing it over. She feigned a look of deep hurt, then demanded a pen. I dug a fountain penout of the door pocket—a piece of craftsmanship that cost more than most people’s one month rent.
She pulled the cap off and immediately began inspecting the tip. It was sharp enough to draw blood.
“Don’t even think about it, hellion,” I warned.
She pursed her lips, that sharp mind of hers already weighing the options. “I would never stab you in this car. It’s too pretty.”
“Good to know you have boundaries.” I let the engine idle, making no move to shift into gear. I just watched her.
She started sketching with a feverish intensity. I’d seen her like this a thousand times when we were younger, but lately, that spark had seemed extinguished. Watching it roar back to life in the passenger seat of my car felt like witnessing a miracle. I didn't drive off; I didn't want to break her flow. She looked so much like her old self in that moment—the girl who used to sketch for hours with my mom—completely untethered from the world, existing only in the lines she was creating.
When she finally finished, she jotted a few notes in the margins and looked up. The joy on her face was radiant—crackling, restless, and entirely too infectious. I looked away quickly, shifting the car into gear before she could see how much that look affected me.
By the time I pulled into the driveway of my house—the one hidden behind the dense tree line in the hills—she was practically vibrating. I saw her scanning the exterior, likely expecting some cold, glass-and-steel monstrosity. Instead, she found a home. Warm, modern, but lived-in. I had the penthouse for when I needed to stay in the city, but this—this was my true home.
At the front door, I hesitated. I could hear the steadytick, tick, tickof nails on the hardwood inside.
A look of realization comes over her face as she listens to the sounds..“YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU HAVE A DOG!” she shrieked.
I crossed my arms, physically blocking the entrance. I needed to establish my territory before she colonized my entire life. “Okay. Ground rules.”
“Ground rules?!” She tried to peek past my shoulder.
“You’re not to take my dog. That is all.”
She raised her brows, a challenge glinting in her eyes. “Fifty bucks says he’ll jump into my bag when I leave. Animals love me. It’s my gift. What’s his or her name?”
She pushed past me before I could answer.
